There is something about a person speaking from a place of immense privilege which is fascinating to me. Attempting to take a position of neutrality, especially in the year 2026, is the biggest tell when it comes to a person’s true convictions. The ‘both sides are equally bad’ talking point was never a good one. But it’s especially egregious now, given all that we have been through and all that we are currently going through.
When I hear a ‘both sides’ argument from a person trying to sell you something, all I hear is, I don’t care about said thing, because it doesn’t affect me, but please buy a ticket to my show and visit the merch table on your way in!
This applied with Ed Sheerhan, and we’re seeing it again with Metallica.
Ah, Metallica. This is a band I am very familiar with. Like so many, this band was my introduction to metal and the reason why I started playing guitar, eventually forming a band of my own. I’ve followed them for 25 years, to varying degrees of interest. I also believe that their 2004 documentary, Some Kind of Monster, is one of the best music documentaries of all time. I will return to this specific piece of media shortly, because it is very relevant here.
For context, during the Metallica concert on Oct 10th, 2026, at the Sphere in Las Vegas, James Hetfield had this to say: “I just gotta say, Metallica’s not here, like some other ‘entertainers’ to influence you with their bullshit, okay? We are here to forget all the outside shit, okay? Metallica’s agenda is love, energy, and heavy music, baby!”
Okay?
Way to beat around the bush, James. In my opinion, this is the most spinelessly half-baked bullshit statement I’ve ever heard from someone who is a hero to so many. We all know James fancies himself a ‘no bullshit’ tough guy. A ‘tell it like it is’ kind of guy. But here? Dude. If you have something to say, just say it. This statement during your concert was 100% optional. If you had said nothing at all, you would have done a far more accurate job of walking that neutral line you’re spouting.
Why does this matter?
This comes off extremely corporate. And let’s not kid ourselves here. Metallica is a business. It’s a money making machine. It’s basically a small corporation wearing the mask of rocker musician dudes having a rock n’ roll time. They’ll say the right thing at the right time, depending on their audience, because they need to maximize profit. It’s giving the same energy as Target, trying to sell their customers Pride merch in June after rolling back their D.E.I programs.
I just find this both sides bullshit extremely tired. Just say what you mean and mean what you say. This lukewarm schtick is cowardly. If you’re going to open your mouth to speak on an issue, own your opinions instead of beating around the bush. It has been apparent for a long time the political leanings of James Hetfield, so you don’t have to both sides it…trust us, dude, we already knew.
There are genocides taking place right now (some funded by U.S. tax dollars). There is an unhinged madman in charge, and our freedoms are hanging on by a thread. There are injustices and atrocities taking place day in and day out. If you have no opinions about any of those things, Occam’s razor suggests that you’re actively in favor of them.
All in the name of maximizing those rock n’ roll profits, baby!
And not for nothing, if you feel the need to ‘call someone out’, you’ve chosen the most interesting target. You’re calling people out for calling out the bad guys…
This is another example of art/music/books being political. I won’t even elaborate on the very obvious elephant in the room being the art created in Metallica’s past having political leanings. It makes this latest statement even more pathetic. But the point I’m making here is that it matters. As an artist myself, I care that you know where I stand when you purchase a book or a shirt from me. You’re making a choice to support me as an artist. For some, I know that choice could be determined on whether or not I support genocide and/or fascism. The art that I create is political, so yes, I care that you know where I stand on issues. It matters because if you choose to engage with my art, I care that what you’re consuming is authentic. On the flip side, if you choose not to engage with my work because of those same positions, that’s your decision. The same cannot be said for the band who wrote songs like Blackened, One, and Disposable Heroes.
Again, James could have achieved his same intention of ‘keeping politics off their stage’ by literally saying nothing. By trying to avoid controversy, he has created controversy. By trying to be apolitical, he has made a very political statement.
Now look, I can’t relate to someone with a net worth of $300 million. However, I know an entitled crybaby when I see one. I encourage you to watch Some Kind of Monster if you haven’t seen it. It’s genuinely a fantastic music documentary. It’s also incredibly eye opening in retrospect. A grown man slamming a door like an angsty teen is comically similar to the inevitability of blaming this whole backlash on the ‘woke mob’ – and another instance of folks not being able to take responsibility for their careless words or actions. In my opinion, the most likely scenario is a committee approved damage control statement. Or perhaps we’ll get silence, which is what we should have gotten from the beginning, but here we are.
I don’t have anything else to add that hasn’t been said already, but in case you were still wondering:
Fuck ICE.
Free Palestine.